Self-powered manual toothbrush with sensors

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush assembly can include a plurality of bristles and a toothbrush body. The toothbrush body can include an indicator to provide information to a user using the toothbrush during a teeth cleaning session. The indicator can operate independent of any power supply external to the toothbrush assembly. A sensing mechanism can provide an electric signal to the indicator responsive to the user using the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session. An energy scavenging mechanism can provide operating power to the indicator responsive to the user using the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed technology relates to the field of toothbrush devices, and more particularly to self-powered manual toothbrushes having at least one sensing mechanism and an indicator such as a display device.

BACKGROUND

Despite many notable advances in toothbrush technologies over the years, current toothbrushes continue to have a number of shortcomings. For example, while certain electric-powered toothbrushes, e.g., the Oral-B 1000 Professional Care 1000 Electric Toothbrush, may sense pressure being applied thereto during brushing, such devices merely determine whether the pressure is excessive and, if so, shut off the electric drive to the bristles to prevent tooth damage.

Other electric toothbrushes, e.g., the Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide Professional Care 9910 Electric Toothbrush, may provide a visual indication of the time spent brushing but such brushes require powered rotating bristles and thus tend to be rather expensive, e.g., upwards of $100.00 to $200.00.

Further, current manual toothbrushes do not provide users with any type of feedback as to how long brushing has occurred or how well the brushing has been done by the user.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improved toothbrushes and toothbrush assemblies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a toothbrush assembly in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a toothbrush assembly in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first example of toothbrush assembly circuitry in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second example of toothbrush assembly circuitry in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third example of toothbrush assembly circuitry in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosed technology generally include an indicator that is capable of resetting its state with time combined with the use of pressure-sensing and/or motion-sensing mechanisms and an energy scavenging mechanism to enable a manual toothbrush to provide a user with certain information such as a visual and/or audible indication that “correct” toothbrushing is either occurring or has been completed, for example. The information may be based on electric signals that, during a teeth cleaning session, may be generated by any of a number of mechanisms such as an energy scavenging mechanism that relies on the motion or flexing of the toothbrush itself.

In certain embodiments, the electrical signals may be generated from piezoelectric sensors attached to or embedded in the toothbrush body itself, e.g., in the neck region, where the most flexing typically occurs during a teeth cleaning session. Alternatively, the sensors may be fabricated into the bristles themselves as the bristles tend to flex more than any other part of the toothbrush during a teeth cleaning session.

The pressure of the toothbrush bristles against the user's teeth generally causes the neck of the toothbrush body to flex slightly, creating a transient voltage on the piezoelectric element or elements. Such a voltage transient may be fed to a circuit comprising a variety of active and passive components. This circuit may transform the transient voltages into a useful measure of toothbrush use by way of a simple counting of the voltage transients or an integration of counts and/or total current generated over the time taken to complete the brushing exercise, for example.

In other embodiments, the electrical signals may be generated from a kinetic energy source such as a coil in which a magnet is free to move. In such embodiments, the coil/magnet combination may be embedded within the toothbrush itself and may be aligned to only generate sufficient electrical current when the brush movement is in a certain direction, e.g., perpendicular to the toothbrush axis. The signals indicating correct brushing motions would be fed to a circuit similar to that described above and used to indicate progress in and/or completion of the brushing activity.

The indicator may progressively provide a visual and/or audible indication of either a certain threshold or endpoint, e.g., the number and/or direction of brush strokes, being met or exceeded or a series of intermediate criteria being met, e.g. by way of a multi-element electrophoretic display such as a segmented bar that can be activated segment-by-segment as the number of brush strokes passes certain predetermined values. For example, a ten-element linear bar may be implemented such that the cumulative transient count increments each segment of the linear bar as the number of counts exceeds multiples of ten.

In certain embodiments, the circuit and/or indicator may be reset to their prior, e.g., original, state by way of a delay circuit or by a manual reset switch fabricated as part of the circuit, for example. This may be advantageous in embodiments where the indicator only needs to display for a short time, for example.

Direct printing of circuit elements and/or other pertinent components into or onto certain portions or parts of a toothbrush assembly may facilitate low manufacturing costs and, thus, low retail prices of the toothbrush assembly. This may essentially result in the establishment of a new product category that fits well between manual toothbrushes and electric toothbrushes, in terms of both price and functionality. This is particularly desirable for manual toothbrushes, which are typically used by a user for only a month or so and then discarded.

Direct printing of components may also facilitate low-to-very low power consumption by the toothbrush assembly as a whole or any of the individual components. Alternatively, fabrication of conventional silicon circuits and subsequent embedding in or attachment to the toothbrush body may be used.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a toothbrush assembly 100 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology. In the example, the toothbrush assembly 100 includes a plurality of bristles 102 and a toothbrush body 104. The plurality of bristles 102 may include any of a number of types and arrangements of standard toothbrush bristles. The toothbrush body 104 is coupled with the plurality of bristles 102.

The toothbrush assembly 100 also includes a sensing mechanism 106 that is configured to provide an electric signal responsive to a user using the toothbrush assembly 100 during a teeth cleaning session. While the example shows the sensing mechanism 106 as being part of or incorporated with the toothbrush body 104 and fully separate from the plurality of bristles 102, it should be noted that the sensing mechanism 106 may be located at other locations or positions with respect to the toothbrush body 104, the plurality of bristles 102, or both in other embodiments.

In the illustrated example, the toothbrush assembly 100 also includes circuitry 108 that is formed in connection with the toothbrush body 104. While the circuitry 108 may be visible to a user of the toothbrush assembly 100 in certain embodiments, it may be fully encased in or enclosed by the toothbrush body 104 in other embodiments. Standard printing techniques and materials may be used to create the circuitry 108 on or within a certain portion, area, or component of the toothbrush assembly 100 that is more flexible than other portions, areas or components, for example. The circuitry 108 may include multiple sub-circuits that may be generated or formed separately from each other and subsequently combined with each other to form the circuitry 108.

In certain embodiments, the circuitry 108 may include a small circuit fabricated by conventional lithographic techniques onto a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) that could be subsequently laminated or otherwise connected to charge generators, for example. Certain implementations of the circuitry 108 are described below with regard to FIGS. 3-5.

The toothbrush assembly 100 of FIG. 1 also includes an indicator 110 configured to provide information to a user using the toothbrush assembly 100 during a teeth cleaning session. This information may be based at least in part on the electric signal provided by the sensing mechanism 106 to the indicator 110. In certain embodiments, the indicator 110 may provide the information to the user dynamically.

The information provided to the user may include visual information, audible information, or both. For example, visual information may correspond to how many strokes the user has made with the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session, how many additional strokes the user should make with the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session, or both. Such visual information may include a number, a bar chart, a line, or any combination thereof In certain embodiments, the indicator 110 may include a line of 4-10 individual electrophoretic, e.g. e-ink, display elements that total 1-2 inches in length.

In certain embodiments, the information provided to the user may include information pertaining to how long the user has been using the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the information provided to the user may include information pertaining to how much longer the user should use the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the information provided to the user may include information pertaining to how many strokes the user has made with the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the information provided to the user may include information pertaining to how many additional strokes the user should make with the toothbrush assembly 100 during the teeth cleaning session. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the information provided to the user may include information pertaining to whether the user is using the toothbrush assembly 100 properly during the particular teeth session.

The indicator 110 may include a transient display device or a persistent display device. For example, the indicator 110 may include an electrophoretic display device, an electrochromic display device, or both. In embodiments where the indicator 110 includes an electrophoretic display device, the electrophoretic display device may include a plurality of bars corresponding to a number of brush strokes the user has made or has yet to make with the toothbrush assembly 100, for example.

In certain embodiments, the sensing mechanism 106 includes at least one piezoelectric charge generator. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the sensing mechanism 106 includes a kinetic energy assembly. Such a kinetic energy assembly may include a coil and a magnet configured to move within the coil, for example. In these embodiments, the information presented to the user by the indicator 110 may include information pertaining to whether the user is using the toothbrush assembly 100 properly during the teeth cleaning session based at least in part on movement of the magnet within the coil.

In certain embodiments, the sensing mechanism 106 may be coupled with the plurality of bristles 102. In such embodiments, the sensing mechanism 106 may be configured to provide the electric signal to the indicator 110 responsive to an application of pressure to the sensing mechanism 106.

In alternative embodiments, the plurality of bristles 102 may include the sensing mechanism 106. In such embodiments, the sensing mechanism 106 may be configured to provide the electric signal to the indicator 110 responsive to an application of pressure to the plurality of bristles 102 such as would occur when the user brushes his or her teeth, thus causing his or her teeth to exert said pressure on the plurality of bristles 102.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a toothbrush assembly 200 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology. In the example, the toothbrush assembly 200 includes a sensing mechanism 202, such as the sensing mechanism 106 of FIG. 1.

The toothbrush assembly 200 of FIG. 2 also includes an indicator 204, such as the indicator 110 of FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, the indicator 204 may be configured to operate independent of any power supply external to the toothbrush assembly 200. In such embodiments, an energy scavenging mechanism 206 may be used to provide operating power to the indicator 204 responsive to the user using the toothbrush assembly 200 during a teeth cleaning session.

The energy scavenging mechanism 206 may be attached to or embedded in a portion or area of the toothbrush assembly 200 that is responsive to the movement and/or pressure generated during a teeth cleaning session. In certain embodiments, the sensing mechanism 202 may include the energy scavenging mechanism 206. The energy scavenging mechanism may be embedded within the toothbrush body of the toothbrush assembly 200.

In certain embodiments, the energy scavenging mechanism 206 may include at least one strip of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or polymer alternative, e.g., polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), configured to generate an electric charge responsive to movement of the toothbrush assembly 200. The one or more strips of PVDF may be printed on, embedded in, or laminated to a portion, area, or component of the toothbrush assembly 200 that flexes during a teeth cleaning session, for example. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the energy scavenging mechanism 206 may include a photovoltaic (PV) component. In certain embodiments including a piezoelectric charge generator, for example, a PV component may be used to provide switching current if the piezoelectric element is unable to provide enough operating power for the indicator 204. In such embodiments, the piezoelectric may be used solely as a sensing device.

In certain embodiments, a signal conditioning mechanism 208 may be used to condition the electric signal provided to the indicator 204 by the sensing mechanism 202. In such embodiments, the energy scavenging mechanism 206 may be used to provide operating power to the signal conditioning mechanism 208.

In certain embodiments, an indicator reset mechanism 210 may be used to reset the indicator 204 responsive to a termination of the teeth cleaning session. For example, the indicator reset mechanism 210 may be used to reset the state of the indicator 204 to its original value using a delay circuit, a mechanical reset mechanism, or a combination thereof. The indicator reset mechanism 210 may include a circuit formed in connection with the toothbrush body of the toothbrush assembly 200. In these embodiments, the energy scavenging mechanism 206 may be used to provide operating power to the indicator reset mechanism 210.

It should be noted that virtually any of the individually illustrated components of the toothbrush assembly 200 may be combined in a single physical element or combination of elements. For example, the sensing mechanism 202 and the energy scavenging mechanism 206 may be implemented as a single component or combination of components. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the indicator 204 and the indicator reset mechanism 210 may be implemented as a single component or combination of components.

It should also be noted that the illustrated connections between the energy scavenging mechanism 206 and the other components do not necessarily reflect physical connections. For example, operating power may be routed from the signal conditioning mechanism 208 to the indicator 204, the indicator reset mechanism 210, or both rather than via separate and direct power supplying connections between the energy scavenging mechanism 206 and either or both of the indicator 204 and indicator reset mechanism 210.

In certain embodiments, the starting state and/or resting state calls for all elements of the indicator, e.g., display device, to be in their “off” state, e.g., as denoted by the color white or the number zero. As the user begins to brush his or her teeth, each flexing of the toothbrush, e.g., the bristles, generates an electrical charge, e.g., in piezoelectric charge generators or in a coil/magnet assembly, which may flow through one or more diodes and onto the top electrode of a display element, for example, see, e.g., FIG. 3, which is described below.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first example of toothbrush assembly circuitry 300 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology. In the example, the circuitry 300 includes a ground 302, a positive charge generator 304 in series with a first diode 312, a negative charge generator 306 in series with a second diode 314, two resistors 308 and 310, a capacitor 316, and a display element 320 such as either of the indicators 110 and 204 of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, for example.

In the example, the diodes 312 and 314 only allow charge movement in one direction, so the circuitry 300 essentially functions as a charge pump. Charge from the positive charge generator 304 may be fed via the first diode 312 to the display element 320, e.g., indicator, that then changes from white to another color. For example, the first segment of the display element 320 may be green. Charge of the opposite sign from the negative charge generator 306 may be fed through the second diode 314, stored on the capacitor 316, and then bled through the resistor 310 to the same side of the display element. The other resistor 308 is connected directly across the display element 320 to the ground 302.

The characteristics of the display element 320 may be such that there is hysteresis in the response to applied voltage. For example, the display element 320 may include an electrophoretic medium such as materials produced by E-ink Holdings. The values of the resistors 308 and 310 and the capacitor 316 relative to the capacitor formed by the display element 320 may determine the rate of change of the voltage across the display element 320. As the voltage across the display element 320 slowly decays, changes sign, and then crosses a threshold for the display element 320 to change color in the opposite direction, the display element 320 may revert to its uncolored state, for example. The values of the resistors 308 and 310 and the capacitor 316 may be adjusted during the design process to create a certain reset time. In certain embodiments, this reset time may be on the order of 30 minutes to one hour.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second example of toothbrush assembly circuitry 400 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology. The circuitry 400 may be used, for example, in certain implementations where a display medium requires a faster rate of change in order to switch state than would be possible with a simple resistor/capacitor (R/C) combination. In the illustrated example, the circuitry 400 includes a ground 402, a first charge source 404 such as a piezoelectric element or battery with mechanical switch in series with a diode 416, and a second charge source 406 coupled with two diodes 412 and 414 and a first capacitor 408.

The circuitry 400 also includes a switching component 410 such as a thin film transistor (TFT) or other switching mechanism coupled with each of the three diodes 412, 414, and 416, the first capacitor 408 and a second capacitor 420, a resistor 418 and a display element 422 such as either of the indicators 110 and 204 of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, for example. The circuitry 400 of FIG. 4 may facilitate switching capability such that transitions to opposite color states are more sudden. The timing of the switching may be controlled by the combination of the second capacitor 420 and the resistor 418, for example.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third example of toothbrush assembly circuitry 500 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology. Such embodiments may allow for independent tailoring of the size of each of a number of multiple charge sources. In the illustrated example, the circuitry 500 includes a ground 502, a first charge source 504 such as a piezoelectric element or battery with mechanical switch in series with a diode 512, a second charge source 506 coupled with a diode 510 and a first capacitor 516, and a resistor 508. The circuitry 500 also includes a second capacitor 514 and a display element 518 such as either of the indicators 110 and 204 of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, for example.

In embodiments where the values of the first and second capacitors 516 and 514 are at least substantially identical, the initial value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be the voltage of the first charge source 504 and the final value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be the difference between the voltage of the first charge source 504 and the voltage of the second charge source 506. Eventually, when all charge has leaked away, the value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be zero. In these embodiments, the first and second charge sources 504 and 506 generally provide different voltage levels, e.g., different voltage amplitudes.

In embodiments where the value of the second capacitor 514 is less than the value of the first capacitor 516, the initial value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be the voltage of the first charge source 504 and the final value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be the difference between the voltage of the first charge source 504 and the product of the voltage of the second charge source 506 and (C1/C2) where C1 is the value of the first capacitor 516 and C2 is the value of the second capacitor 514. Eventually, when all charge has leaked away, the value of the display element voltage V_(x) will be zero. In these embodiments, the first and second charge sources 504 and 506 may provide voltage levels that are at least substantially similar to each other.

It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toothbrush assembly, comprising: a plurality of bristles; a toothbrush body coupled with the plurality of bristles, the toothbrush body comprising: an indicator configured to provide information to a user using the toothbrush during a teeth cleaning session, wherein the indicator is further configured to operate independent of any power supply external to the toothbrush assembly; and an energy scavenging mechanism configured to provide operating power to the indicator responsive to the user using the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; and a sensing mechanism configured to provide an electric signal to the indicator responsive to the user using the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session, wherein the information provided to the user is based at least in part on the electric signal.
 2. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the information provided to the user comprises at least one of a group consisting of: information pertaining to how long the user has been using the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; information pertaining to how much longer the user should use the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; information pertaining to how many strokes the user has made with the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; information pertaining to how much pressure has been applied to the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; information pertaining to how many additional strokes the user should make with the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session; and information pertaining to whether the user is using the toothbrush assembly properly during the particular teeth session.
 3. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the information is dynamically provided to the user.
 4. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the information provided to the user comprises visual information, audible information, or both.
 5. The toothbrush assembly of claim 4, wherein the visual information corresponds to at least one of a group consisting of: how many strokes the user has made with the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session, how many additional strokes the user should make with the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session, and how much pressure has been applied to the toothbrush assembly during the teeth cleaning session.
 6. The toothbrush assembly of claim 5, wherein the visual information comprises at least one of a group consisting of: a number, a bar chart, and a line.
 7. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a persistent display device.
 8. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises an electrophoretic display device, an electrochromic display device, or both.
 9. The toothbrush assembly of claim 8, wherein the electrophoretic display device comprises a plurality of bars corresponding to a number of brush strokes the user has made or has yet to make with the toothbrush assembly.
 10. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises at least one piezoelectric charge generator.
 11. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a kinetic energy assembly.
 12. The toothbrush assembly of claim 11, wherein the kinetic energy assembly comprises a coil and a magnet configured to move within the coil.
 13. The toothbrush assembly of claim 12, wherein the information presented to the user comprises information pertaining to whether the user is using the toothbrush assembly properly during the teeth cleaning session based at least in part on movement of the magnet within the coil.
 14. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the energy scavenging mechanism comprises at least one strip of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or copolymer alternative configured to generate an electric charge responsive to movement of the toothbrush assembly.
 15. The toothbrush assembly of claim 14, wherein the copolymer alternative comprises polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE).
 16. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism comprises the energy scavenging mechanism.
 17. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, further comprising a signal conditioning mechanism configured to condition the electric signal provided to the indicator.
 18. The toothbrush assembly of claim 17, wherein the energy scavenging mechanism is further configured to provide operating power to the signal conditioning mechanism.
 19. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, further comprising an indicator reset mechanism configured to reset the indicator responsive to a termination of the teeth cleaning session.
 20. The toothbrush assembly of claim 19, wherein the indicator reset mechanism comprises a circuit formed in connection with the toothbrush body.
 21. The toothbrush assembly of claim 19, wherein the energy scavenging mechanism is further configured to provide operating power to the indicator reset mechanism.
 22. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the energy scavenging mechanism is embedded within the toothbrush body.
 23. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the energy scavenging mechanism comprises at least two components, one of which is a photovoltaic (PV) component.
 24. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing mechanism is coupled with the plurality of bristles, and wherein the sensing mechanism is configured to provide the electric signal to the indicator responsive to an application of pressure to the sensing mechanism.
 25. The toothbrush assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristles comprises the sensing mechanism, and wherein the sensing mechanism is configured to provide the electric signal to the indicator responsive to an application of pressure to the plurality of bristles. 